This selective high proliferative potential of the CD56brightCD16neg and CD56brightCD16low cells in response to IL-2 is in line with the possibility that HDC plus IL-2 therapy triggers proliferation of the small subpopulation of more immature CD56brightCD16neg cells present in AML patients, leading to an expansion and parallel differentiation first to CD56brightCD16low cells, which further proliferate, and then, at least in part, mature to CD56dimCD16high NK cells. Here, IL2 is linked to acute myeloid leukemia.